Refuse-burner.



J. PRESCOTT.

REFUSE BURNER.

. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 22, 1911,

Patented Aug. 5, 1913.

' l l l rf l l Jsee 1 7666055,

JESSE PRESCOTT, OF WEBSTER, MAS$ACHUSETTS.

REFUSE-BURNER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 5,1913.

Application filed November 22, 1911:. Serial No. 661,755.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JESSE PRESCOTT, a citizen of the United States, andresident of Webster, in the county of Worcester and State ofMassachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Refuse-Burners, of whichthe following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings,is aspecification, like letters on the drawings representing like parts.

In m earlier copending application, Se-

rial No. 614,496, filed March 14, 1911, I have' shown a refuse consumerfor the burning of domestic and other garbage and like refuse, whereinan upright rectangular receptacle is provided with an outwardly flaringopen-.- portion extending of the flame to strike against the garbagemass.

A further feature of the invention relates to means for ventilating thespace between the inner and outer shells so that a circulation isprovided in the intermediate air space and the outer shell will notbecome excessively heated.

The invention will be better understood from the following detaileddescription, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, andwill be thereafter pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a central vertical sectionthrough my improved incinerator; Fig. 2 is a plan view showing the topof the flaring grate and the sectional forng, thereof; Fig. 3 is afragmentary trarn iiierse section on line 3-3 of Fig. 1 the fliie plate18 being omitted; and

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary vertical section on line 44 of Fig. 3.

The casing comprises an inner receptacle 1 and an outer shell 2rectangular in form and preferably square as shown, the inner receptaclebeing spaced away from the outer shell to leave an insulating air space.The shell and receptacle rest on a. suitable base 4',

flues extending down below the and an ash pan 5 seated on the base isremovable through a lateral opening 6, this opening being closed by adoor 7 having its central portion cut out, with a screen mesh 8stretched over the opening to permit the entrance of air currents forpromoting evaporation in the material, and the screen.

being provided to prevent the entrance of vermin to the interior of thereceptacle.

, The inner receptacle at the front does not extend to the base butrests on a flange inwardly extending fromthe outer shell, and a flange 3extending inwardly from the inner receptacle at the same elevation asshown furnishes a support for a horizontal grate 9 having radial slots10 around a central opening 11 which receives *the gas burner, to belater described. An outwardly flaring openwork grate 12 rests on thehorizontal grate 9 and, as shown, is provided with lugs 13 to engagewith recesses 14 in the horizontal grate. The top of this flaring grateis provided with a flange 15, and it is freel' provided throughout withrelatively wi e elongated vertically extending slots 16. This grate ispreferably sectional in construction, being, as shown, in four pieces,with the section lines indicated at 17, so as to be capable ofconvenient assembling in the receptacle and easy removal when required.Plate portions 18 extend across the corners of the inner receptacle 1 toprovide corner fiues up through the receptacle from the top of theflaring grate, and the top flange 1 5 of this grate is conformed tothese fines and to the intermediate walls of the reeeptacle,-as seen in'Fig. 2.

According to the present invention, the corner flues formed by theplates 18 as such do not extend below the top flange 15 of the flaringgrate there being at this point partitions 18 therein, and,-to insureinitial vent openings for the products of combustion immediately afterthe gas burner is lighted and before the garbage mass has appreciablyshrunk, shield plates or bafiles 19 are fixed in place over the plates18 at the corners of the receptacle some little distance above theflange 15 to extend down over the same and over the upper portions ofthe slots 16 in the grate with a space 20 between the shield plates andthe top of the grate. The corner 1 plates '18 are provided withslottedopenings 21 a short distance above the flange 15 and within the spaceprotected by the battle plates 19, so that the garbage mass iseffectually kept away from clogging the upper portions of the grateslots 16 and the corner-flue slots 21. Thus a sufficient vent for theproducts of combustion from the gas burner beneath up into the cornerflues is always insured even tho-ugh the receptacle may be filled withwet garbage which completely stops up the main portions of the grateslots. The corner flue plates 18 preferably extend up to near the top ofthe receptacle and may be provided with other series of slots 22 at.intervals. The gas burner may be formed similarly to that of my priorapplication above referred to, and consists in a neck portion 23 fittedin the central aperture 11 in the grate with an outwardly divergingconical portion 24 having a series of slits 25 therein to direct theflame down through the slots 10, and also having a conical hood 26 fixedthereover extending well up into the receptacle space. wardly andoutwardly extending rim 27 which aids in directing the annulus of flameoutward to encompass the garbage mass. The burner is supplied withgaseous fuel from a pipe 28 having any suitable form of mixer 29associated therewith. To .prevent excessive heating of the outer shell2, I preferably provide means for permitting the air in the spacebetween this shell and the inner receptacle 1 to circulate to someextent and escape from near the top of the receptacle. To this end, oneor more screened openings 30 are formed in the outer shell in the lowerportion thereof, and other similar screened openings 31 near the top ofthe outer shell. The inner receptacle and outer shell are provided withsuitable doors 32 permitting convenient access to the grate structure,and a stack connection 33 extends from the receptacle.

In use, as the receptacle is filled with garbage, usually more or lesswet, air currents passing up through the screened opening 8 always havea vent up through the receptacle by reason of the portions of the slots16 and the slots 21 protected by the baffle plates 19 and the air thusdrawn up through the apparatus strikes to a considerable extent againstthe garbage mass in the flaring grate portion through the openingstherein by reason of the flaring construction which constantlyintercepts the normal upward course of the air currents. Thus the dryingout of the garbage is expedited and a less amount of gaseous fuel isrequired for its combustion later. In like manner, when the gas isignited, the baffle plates 19 insure an initial vent for the products ofcombustion, and the flame is caused to be drawn upward along the flaringgrate, constantly striking against the garbage therein through the slotopenings, so that the combustion of the garbage is initiated andcompleted very quickly and with a minimum consumption of gas.

This hood has a down It is to be observed that in this improved form ofmy refuse consumer, as well as in the previous form, the entire centralportion of the receptacle space is uimhstructed, so that a relativetvlarge receiving capacity is provided. while the special construction andcorrelation of the central burner, the flaring grate, and the cornerflues insure the spreading out and direction of the flame in a manner tomost effectively attack the garbage and insure its rapid and completeconsumption. In the present improved construction, it is to be notedthat the drying currents of air or the products of combustion with theburner lighted, as the case may be, are required to seek an initialoutlet by being drawn inwardly through the flaring grate slots, 2'. 6.these currents are directed from the start against the sides of thegarbage mass so that they act at all times most effectively for thepurpose in view.

I am aware that various of the details of construction shown in thepresent illustrative embodiment of my invention can be modified withoutdeparting from the spirit thereof, and I therefore do not desire to belimited as to these or in anyot-her particulars except as set forth inthe appended claims.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent is:

1. An apparatus of the kind described, comprising an upright rectangularreceptacle, an upwardly outwardly flaring openwork grate in the lowerportion thereof having its top substantially fitting the walls of thereceptacle and provided with openings, means for dividing off thecorners of the receptacle to form corner flues extending from above thetop of said grate with openings therethrough just above the top of thegrate, and means extending down in front of said flue openings and overthe openings in the upper part of the grate for shielding the upperportion of the grate and the flue openings to insure an initial vent forthe products of combustion.

2. An apparatus of the kind described, comprising an upright rectangularcasing, having an upwardly outwardly flaring slotted grate in the lowerportion thereof with the top of the said grate substantially fitting thewalls of the casing, means arranged to partition off the corner spacesof said casing to form corner flues extending from above said grate withopenings therethrough just above the top of the grate, and baflle platesextending obliquely downward over said flue openings and over portionsof the grate slots in position to insure vent passages from below thegrate, and a burner for gaseous fuel arranged adjacent the lower portionof the grate in position to direct flame to impinge against the garbagemass therein.

3. An apparatus of the kind described, comprising an upright rectangularcasing, an upright slotted grate in the lower portion thereof having itstop substantially fitting the inner walls of the receptacle and itslower portion drawn in to leave an annular space between it and thereceptacle, means for forming flues in the corners of the receptaclewith openings above the top of said grate only, baffle plates arrangedto protect the passageways from certain of the openings in said grate tothe openings in said corner fines, and a burner for gaseous fuel mountedin the lower portion of the receptacle in position to direct flame over15 the garbage mass therein.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, inthe presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JESSE PRESCOTT.

Witnesses:

C. L. Roenns, R. G. HERSEY.

